Family Video takes over former Blockbuster location

Workers are sought for the Lewiston Family Video store, which, internally, will resemble the location on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Niagara Falls.

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Move over, Redbox, you've got
some competition.

Family Video is taking over
the former Blockbuster store location in Center Street's Rite Aid plaza, and is
slated to open on Friday.

"Lewiston is just a great
location," Family Video Regional Director Todd Bezenah said Tuesday. "It should
be a very successful location."

Family Video offers everything
Blockbuster did, in terms of rentals, but without the extraneous items (like,
say, a Snuggie) and at lower prices.

"Eighty percent of our store
is a dollar or two-for-a-dollar," Bezenah said.

Children's movies can be
rented for free, just like at a library. New rentals are $2.79 and "We get
them; they don't," Bezenah said of competitors Redbox and Netflix, two popular
rental companies that don't offer as many titles when new releases come out
each Tuesday.

Now, for those wondering how
Family Video can succeed in a location where another chain rental store
seemingly failed, Bezenah said Blockbuster was better off than it appeared.

"We know it was a good store
for them," he said, noting Blockbuster's move was due more to a territorial
reorganization than a lack of sales in the village.

Moreover, Bezenah said
customers will notice "when it comes to selection, when it comes to pricing,
nobody competes with us." Additionally, he said Family Video workers are known
for "providing the (customer) service I know everybody wants."

Family Video plans to offer
between eight and 10 jobs at its new Lewiston location. This, too, is what
separates the company from Redbox and Netflix, Bezenah said.

"They're not investing in
communities," he said, adding Family Video pays property taxes and, nationally,
is adding 1,000 new jobs.

"And we're expanding," he
said. "We see the opportunity in markets to come into."

Bezenah said Family Video will
have a soft opening but expects to make a splash in the weeks to come. His
company, he noted, likes to get involved with local initiatives and give back
to worthy causes.

The rental store will open at
10 a.m. seven days a week. Bezenah encouraged new customers (ages 18 and up) to
become a member. New accountholders are entitled to half-off rentals for the
first 30 days after they register, as well as $40 in coupons, and a free rental
upon completion of a company survey. There is no cost to join.

Family Video is the second
largest video chain in the U.S., with 750 locations (including 25 in Western
and Central New York). Apply online at www.familyvideo.com.